Born the 14th of September 1934, in St. Paul Minnesota, Kate Millet's mother never could have predicted that her little girl would one day change the world and its view of women.
Earning a Bachelor degree from the University of Minnesota, a Master's with first class honors from University of Oxford and a Phd from Columbia University, Millet herself couldn't have foreseen the path she would pave.[1]
A writer and an artist, Millet didn't long for the spotlight, she merely wanted to tell her truths as she saw them. Publishing ten books by 2001, she continued to write and publish articles in notable formats until 2014, always strong in her analysis and unwavering in her beliefs she continued to crash waves upon the shores of women's oppression.[2]
Most notably known for her 1970 book Sexual Politics, based on her doctorial dissertation of the same name, Millet challenged and changed how society viewed the patriarchy and its overall subjugation of women. Its unpredicted success catapulted her into the forefront of the women's liberation movement, much to the disdain of other prominent feminists like Betty Friedan.
Although some sought to discredit Millett as a true feminist after she came out as bisexual, she continued to fight the good fight, writing groundbreaking works on political torture, prostitution and mental illness.
Passing away on September 6, 2017, she left her mark not only on the women she met, but on those she never crossed paths with. Across the country and across the globe, her strength and courage to demand something better rippled into an ocean of change that continues today.
On this National Coming Out Day, it seems only right that one of the often forgotten warriors is shown a bit of gratitude for living her truths in such a way as to create the possibility others can too.
[1] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kate-Millett
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Millett